Please take a minute and read this article. This is so important to me, and to the MISS Foundation. Grief is not a psychiatric illness, and should not be treated like one.

Please take a minute and read this article. This is so important to me, and to the MISS Foundation. Grief is not a psychiatric illness, and should not be treated like one. was last modified: January 4th, 2013 by rockstarronan

So to avoid being labeled as having a mental illness which could keep that which would keep that person from ever having certain jobs… That person would not be allowed to grieve in the face of tragedy? Mental illness is feeling without a cause… Death and tragedy are major causes. How many of us would lose jobs because of losing someone close to us or a family tragedy. WHATEVER! It’s absurd! Those grieving are alive as they feel such intense pain… Those medicated and numb? There might be some real concern there… I’m speechless!

Your strength amazes me! There’s no doubt that Ronan is proud of you, and I’m sure Teddy’s mom is grateful for your friendship. Also, you have a gift…..a gift of writing. You put emotions into words in a way that nobody else can. You pull your readers into your soul.

I read this and have shared it with many people today because it makes me so sick and enrages me. I am a home based family therapist, so I work in the mental health field, and I truly believe this change will have major ramifications if it goes through.

I think so many people are afraid to feel… that doctors who barely know people experiencing grief prescribe to help them get through, move, function… yet part of grief and life after lossing someone important is feeling – feeling heavy, feeling sad, feeling sick, feeling lonely… how can you not feel that? Some people would rather not feel those things… but not feeling those things means you can’t feel the other things either… happy, okay, alive…
Grief is grief… not a medicated illness, but a way to survive and move and remember and feel…

Sadly, there is an agenda in labeling those grieving as mentally ill, so they could sell so many more drugs. Maya, when I share something like this, one person reads. When you share it, hundreds of thousands do. You have a power to influence people and you use it wisely. Thank you, thank you, thank you.